Latest People: 500 Miles 4 Smiles, Mid Summer Ball at the Hilton and Brighton Beach Bikes

Thousands raised at Mid Summer Ball
Brighton welcomed back one of the biggest charity events in Sussex at the weekend. The Mid Summer Ball returned to the Hilton Brighton Metropole on Saturday 21 June to raise £65,700 for its two beneficiary charities.

The Hilton’s annual ball raised funds for its charitable arm, the Hilton In The Community Foundation – helping young people to have a brighter future in Brighton and across the UK and Europe – and local children’s charity Rockinghorse, the official fundraising arm of the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital and a vital supporter of the Trevor Mann Baby Unit, based in Brighton.

The Brazilian-themed event, reflecting the spirit of the World Cup, welcomed back Zoe Ball who acted as head judge for the Strictly Come Dancing-style competition. Zoe, TV star and presenter of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing spin-off show It Takes Two, was joined on the judging panel by David Hill, CEO of entertainment group E3, and professional dancer Marta Scott.

Four celebrities and local personalities had been in training to learn a Latin-inspired dance, joined by their expert partners. Those brave enough to take on the challenge in front of nearly 400 guests were: Richard Skerritt, managing director of Skerritts; Andrew Austin, director of Austin Rees; Davina Wells, managing director of Brighton Racecourse and children’s TV personality Sid Sloane.

The competition was won by Richard Skerritt, who wowed the judges with his samba, along with professional dance partner Carola Degener-Pereira, owner of Brighton Dancing.

Hosted by the team at the Hilton Brighton Metropole, guests enjoyed a sparkling drinks reception, four-course dinner with wine and after-dinner entertainment which included live music from Back In The Day, a fundraising auction and the infamous indoor dodgems.

Speaking after the Mid Summer Ball, Howard Lewis, Hilton Brighton Metropole General Manager, said: “The night was a culmination of a lot of voluntary work and effort by the ball committee, who delivered an excellent event. I am so proud of the whole team who have helped to raise money for the Hilton In The Community Foundation and Rockinghorse Children’s Charity and I am already looking forward to planning next year’s event.”

Dental Hygienist of the Year Completes 500 Miles 4 Smiles
In a bid to raise money and awareness of mouth cancer, Christina Chatfield of Brighton-based dental practise Dental Health Spa, has completed a 500-mile walk from her home town in Scotland to Brighton.

Along the way Christina visited 32 cities and walked more than 500 miles, finishing with a Grand Finale party at Brighton’s Big Beach Café on Thursday 19 June.

The walk, which took a month, has raised more than £15,000 so far for Mouth Cancer Awareness and the British Dental Health Foundation.

Christina says mouth cancer kills more people than testicular and cervical cancer put together each year – and cases are up by 40 per cent over the past decade. So her campaign deserves all our backing.

Find out more about the campaign online at www.500miles4smiles.org

Brighton Beach Bikes
Glorious sunshine greeted the opening of the relocated Brighton Beach Bikes on Monday 23 June. Having spent the past three summers hiring their Californian beach cruiser bikes out of a green container on Madeira Drive, they were very pleased to be able to unveil their new location next to Brighton Pier.

Also, on this day we launched our brand new guided bicycle tour of Brighton and Hove seafront, Brighton Historicycles.

This is a fun and factual tour of the seafront led by guides dressed in Victorian costume who will be unveiling the glorious and not-so-glorious history of the city.